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PART 2O Not Meant to Be


"I'm so glad to be home!" Marron said to her parents. The car
stopped and everybody got out. Marron wanted to rush inside
but she waited for her parents. Kurillin and Juuhachigou had
odd smiles on their faces and tried to keep an urge to laugh
in. Marron stared at them and then continued on to the house.
She stepped in and...
"SURPRISE!!!"
Marron stepped back in surprise and then she smiled when she
saw that Goten, Pan, Bra, Master Roshi and Oolong were the ones
who said it.
"Welcome home, Marron!" Bra said.
"Did you all plan this?" Marron asked, crossing her arms.
"Yep!" Pan replied.
"We thought that you'd like to see your old buddies after
weeks of traveling." Goten said.
"You were right!" Marron said.
"Sorry that Trunks couldn't come." Bra said. "He had stuff to
do. I don't know what."
"That's all right." Marron replied. "It's-it's perfectly all
right with me..."


After the small 'Welcome Home' celebration, Marron asked her
parents and Master Roshi if Bra, Goten and Pan could stay over
for the night. They agreed and the friends all shared Marron's
room. It was the middle of the night and Marron couldn't get to
sleep. She went outside and sat on the beach.
"Aoi..." she said to herself. "I wish we didn't have to say
goodbye..."
"Who's Aoi?" a voice said from behind her. Marron looked up
and looked behind her. It was Pan. She was rubbing her eyes as if
she just woke up.
"Oh... Did I wake you up, Pan-chan?" Marron asked.
"No, no." Pan replied as she sat next to Marron. "I woke up a while
ago and I couldn't get back to sleep. Then I heard you getting out
of the room. Is it all right if I sit here?"
"Sure thing."
"So what are you doing?"
"I was just thinking."
"Who's Aoi?"
"Oh...oh, him? Well, um...he's someone I met during my vacation."
"Really? Do you miss him?"
"A lot."
"Did you fall in love with him or somethin'?"
"Oh, Pan! Why are you so curious?"
"What? We're best friends, aren't we?"
"Yes."
"Well? Can't we share secrets?"
"...I guess we could."
"So...did you fall in love with him?"
Marron sighed. "Yes."
"What happened between you two?"
"I can't love him. We're just not meant to be."
"You might be."
"I might have. But I know that we're not. I'm sure of it."
"Where is he now?"
"I don't know. The last time I saw him was in Hawaii."
"Do you think you'll ever see him again?"
"Probably. Probably not."
"Then if you're not destined for him, who do you think you're
destined for? Anyone I know?"
"Pan-chan, not everyone knows whom they're destined for."
"Well, if you're not sure about that then who are you in love
with now?"
"Pan!"
"What? You said that we could share secrets."
"Okay, okay. But what if I'm not in love with someone?"
"Then you'll have to tell me the guys that you used to be in love
with."
Marron smiled. She sighed and looked out at the water, sparkling
with the light of the full moon.
"I don't know how I'm going to tell you this, Pan." Marron said
solemnly.
"Why not?"
"Because...because you know him and...I...I just don't know."
"If it's Uncle Goten then I'm perfectly okay with that. I'll
be really happy if it was him!"
"I tried to love him but...I just love this...other guy too much."
"If it's my dad then I'm still okay with that."
"No, it's not your dad."
"If it's my grandpa then I'm still okay with that."
"Which grandpa?"
"Any one of them."
"No, it's not either one."
"If it's Ubuu then I'm still okay with that."
"No, it's not Ubuu."
"If it's my boyfriend then I'm still okay with that. Just as long
as you don't try to steal him."
"No, it's not your boyfriend. And even if it was then I wouldn't
think of-of...stealing him."
"Who is it then?"
"I just can't tell you, Pan."
"We're best friends!"
"I know that but you and...this guy had a history..."
"Um...Trunks?"
Marron sat there, speechless. Pan had guessed right. But she
couldn't deny it. She couldn't admit it either. Marron pulled
up her legs and buried her face in her arms.
"It's Trunks?" Pan asked.
"I-I...don't know..."
"It's Trunks, isn't it?"
Marron nodded. "I couldn't help it, Pan-chan! It just happened.
I couldn't stop it. I wish I could but I'm so...so in love with
him."
"You two would make such a kawaii couple!" Pan said with a smile.
Marron looked up and stared at the girl.
"What..."
"I've always wondered what it would be like if you and Trunks
got together. So how is it?"
"I thought that you'd be...reacting in another way."
"Me? No way! I mean, Trunks was nice and all when we were dating
but y'know, I just don't think we could make it work out. His
dad would kill us if we'd ever think of marriage."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course I am! Besides, do you think I'd dump my current boyfriend
for Trunks? I really like him a lot, you know."
"Are you sure that you're all right about what I told you?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I mean, be-because..."
"Do you think that I'd dump Trunks because we were in love?"
"Well...I guess not."
"So there. I think that you two are such a good couple!"
"You do? Really?"
"Yeah. So, how is it?"
"I...well..."
"Well?"
"I'm not exactly...um...'involved' with him in-in that...that way..."
"Then you guys aren't going out?"
"...not really..."
"Why not?"
"Be-because...I-I...can't tell you..."
"I've said this more than once, do you want me to say it again?"
"I know, I know. It's just that...you-you'd better go to sleep."
"Aw, c'mon! Pleeeeeeeease?"
"If we were really friends then you'd leave my privacy alone."
"C'mon! I'm not THAT kind of friend. I wanna know!"
"It's very, VERY late. We should go to bed."
Pan crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Marron.
"Oh, I see." she said. "You're in love with Trunks and you just
can't admit it. It seems that you two never get a chance to go
for it and you're scared that you'll lose him forever."
Marron was silent. Then she started trembling. She lowered her
head.
"You're right." she said softly. "You're absolutely right, Pan."
"Oh Marron. Why don't you go for it? He's available and it's
not like there's anyone stopping you. You're the only one who's
stopping you from doing this."
"I...I..."
"Marron...Marron?"
"Wh-what?"
"We should go inside now."
Marron nodded and they both stood up to go inside.


"I'm telling you guys, she really needs our help." Pan said as
she took a sip of her soda.
"How do you think we could get her and Trunks together?" asked
Bra.
"I don't know yet but we have to think up of somethin' real
quick 'coz we have no idea of what'll happen next." Pan replied.
"I think that we shouldn't butt into Marron's love life." Goten
said.
"You can think?" Bra asked sarcastically. Pan laughed.
"Anyways," Pan said. "Marron really needs us and it's not like
we're invading her privacy or anything like that."
"Um...we ARE invading her privacy." Goten said.
"So what?! We're her friends, end of story." Pan replied.
"Now we need a plan..." Bra said.
The three continued eating while they tried to think of a plan
to get Trunks and Marron together.
"Why don't we fix them up with blind dates!" Goten exclaimed.
"That would be a great idea..." Bra said. "If only it wasn't so
stupid."
"No, no!" Goten said. "Their blind dates would be each other!"
"Hey! That's not so bad!" Pan said. "That's it!"
"Wow!" Bra said. "Let's have a celebration throughout the whole
nation! Goten ACTUALLY thought up of a good plan!"
"'Ha ha'. Veeeery funny." Goten said.
"Just quit fighting and let's begin 'Operation Blind Date'!"


"I have no idea why I agreed to this." Marron said to herself as
she looked into the mirror.
"At least the restaurant's good." she sighed.


"She'd better be a good one, Bra." Trunks said.
"She's a very, VERY good one." Bra said as she watched her brother
prepare for his blind date. "Don't you trust me? Your dear little
sister? Your own flesh and blood?"
"Frankly, I don't and I never did."
"How could you be SOOOO ungrateful?"
"Guess I was born with it."
"You're such a baka."
"Then how come mom chose ME to run Capsule Corp. instead of YOU?"
"'Coz you're older! I'm telling you, if I were first, mom would've
picked me. Besides, I'm still in school. You're also the more
pitiful one."
"Am not!"
"Oh really? Mobs of crazy girls running after you all the time and
you with your pathetic no sense of fashion."
"Girls run after me because I'm so irresistible! And my sense
of fashion is perfectly all right!"
"Yeah, in the land of the geeks."
"How 'bout YOUR sense of fashion, huh? It's not like every girl
your age wears a red leather outfit."
"I don't wear this all the time. I wear lots of other stuff. Do
you think that I go shopping just to look at the displays? When I
have tons of money? I don't think so."
"My sense of style is just as good as yours and maybe even better!"
"Maybe."
"*Grrrrrrr* I just HAD to get stuck with YOU, didn't I?!"
"You think that I like the idea of being related to you?"
"I bet that the girl you set me up is a dud! I'm not going!"
Trunks crossed his arms and sat down on the bed.
"Oh c'mon, you hafta go!" Bra said.
"Why should I? I bet that there isn't even A girl."
"Please go! Marron will be really disappointed."
"I..." Trunks stared at Bra. "Marron's my blind date?!"
Bra's eyes widened. Then she covered her mouth.
"Oops..." she said to herself.
"It IS Marron, isn't it?!"
"No, no, no! Her name's...uh...uh...her name's, um...um..." Bra
looked around the room. She spotted a glass of water on the
table. "Her name's Mizu...ko. Mizuko!"
"Mizuko?" Trunks asked, with confusion in his voice.
"Yeah, yeah! Mizuko...um...Mizuko Yamagachi!"
"Um...okay. But why did you mention Marron's..."
"Her name is Mizuko Marron Yamagachi! *hehe* What a coincidence, ne?"
"Uh...sure."
"Well...are ya going?"
"*sigh* All right. On one condition."
"What?"
"Tell me if she really is Marron."
"She isn't! She isn't! She's Mizuko Yamaguchi!"
"I thought it was YamaGAchi."
"Eh... Oops! I got mixed up!"
"She is Marron, isn't she?"
"No, no, no, no, no!"
"Tell me the truth, Bra."
"She is not Marron."
Trunks didn't say anything else but kept on staring at Bra. Bra
began to sweat and wanted to find an excuse to leave.
[Mom, please call me!] Bra screamed in her head. Trunks was still
staring at her.
"ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT! IT'S MARRON! JUST QUIT STARING AT ME,
WILL YA?!?!?!?!?!?!" Bra spit out. Then she covered her mouth quickly
and shook her head rapidly.
"I knew it would work." Trunks said with a look of triumph on
his face. Bra looked up, took the pillow beside her and hit Trunks
on the head with it.
"IF YOU EVER USE THAT TO MAKE ME SPIT OUT SOMETHING THEN I WILL
HAVE TO KILL YOU!!!" Bra yelled before she walked out of the room.
Then she popped in again. "AND YOU'D BETTER SHOW MARRON A GOOD TIME
OR ELSE!!!"
"I won't be able to do that if I have a punctured ear drum!" Trunks
yelled back. Bra ignored his comment and left.
"Geez..." Trunks said to himself. "At least she didn't reply or
I'd surely be deaf. I'd better get some ear plugs the next time we
have a conversation."
Trunks continued to get ready for his blind date. Then he smiled
to himself. [At least I get to see Marron again.]


[Why did I come here? This is probably a practical joke that Goten,
Pan and Bra are playing on me. They'll probably pop out of nowhere
and start laughing in my face. They probably have this whole thing
planned out. They tell me that I'm going on a blind date, I go to
the restaurant, the guy there tells me I have no reservation, I try
to tell him I do, the bouncer throws me out, I go back home all
embarrassed and then they'll jump out behind the couch and laugh.
Oh, why am I here?] Marron thought as she walked into the restaurant.
She closed her eyes tightly when she reached the maitre'd.
"Okay, sir. My friends told me that I have a reservation here for
a blind date." Marron said.
"What is your name, ma'am?" the maitre'd asked.
"M-M-Marron, sir." Marron replied. The maitre'd looked in his
book. Marron watched nervously as he looked through the list of
names.
[I'm probably not there. Oh Kami, I...]
"Here it is, madam, table 2O." the maitre'd said.
"R-r-r-really?" Marron asked.
"Yes. Right this way." the maitre'd said as he led Marron to a
table. He pulled a chair for Marron to sit down on. Marron sat
down.
"I hope your blind date goes well, ma'am."
"Th-th-thank you."
The maitre'd bowed and left.
[I guess this wasn't a practical joke after all.] Marron thought.
[I wonder who he is.]


[Where in the heck is my date?!] Marron thought. It was already and
hour and 15 minutes and her blind date still didn't come. Marron
stood up and went to the maitre'd.
"If my blind date comes," Marron told him. "Tell him that I left."
"Why?" the maitre'd asked.
"I can't wait any longer."
"All right but I don't think he would love to hear this."
"I don't care."
Marron walked out of the restaurant and got into her car.
"I cannot believe he stood me up!" Marron said to herself. She
turned on her car and started to drive home. Then she saw Tsuki
Park.
[I guess I could stop by it.] Marron thought. She parked the car
and went into Tsuki Park. She looked around and listened carefully
for the five singer girls but they weren't there. She sat down on
a bench. She closed her eyes and tried not to think of her night.
"Marron?" a familiar voice asked. Marron opened her eyes to see
Trunks in front of her.
"Trunks?" she asked. "What are you dong here?"
"I was about to ask the same question." Trunks said.
"You look real fancy tonight." Marron commented. Trunks was wearing
a dark blue three piece suit, shiny black shoes, a blood red tie,
gold cufflinks and his hair was combed neatly.
"So do you." Trunks replied. Marron was wearing a red dress that
was up to her knees, a pair of pink sandals with socks, a pink
coat and her hair was tied up in pink silk ribbons.
"What's the special occasion?" Marron asked as Trunks sat down next
to her.
"A date." Trunks replied.
"What kind?"
"Y'know, the one where two people go out and do something nice.
How 'bout you?"
"Same thing. Aren't you supposed to be bringing her home?"
"Nope. I stood her up."
"That's funny. I was stood up."
"You were?"
"Yeah. What a coincidence."
Trunks looked at Marron and felt guilty. He hesitated for a moment
and finally found the courage to say something.
"Uh...Marron?"
"What is it?"
"I really need to tell you something."
"Go ahead."
"Well...um...I'm sorry..."
"For what?"
"Well...it's like this...um...I was supposed to be your blind date."
Marron's eyes widened and she moved away.
"Y-y-you were?!"
"It was Bra, Goten and Pan's idea."
Marron gathered her composure and resumed to the position she was
in before she backed away because of the surprise.
"I guess I was right after all." Marron said.
"About what?" Trunks asked.
"I knew that this whole blind date thing was a practical joke."
"It isn't."
"Well, it was planned out by those three, was it not?"
"Yeah..."
"Then what do you think it was?"
"Why would they joke about something like this?"
"Why wouldn't they?"
"Hmm...you've got a point there."
"Well, I'd better get back home."
"Why now?"
"I came here for a date and that's all. Since I didn't get it then
I should go home and have a nice cup of tea." Marron said as she stood
up. "Goodnight, Trunks."
"Wait!" Trunks said as he stood up. Marron looked back at him.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Well, um, you came here for a date and I think you should get it."
"But it's too late for that."
"Oh. Guess you're right."
"Okay, I'm going home. Bye!"
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"What is it NOW, Trunks?"
"At least let me drive you home."
"I have my own car, Trunks."
"Oh yeah...well, let me escort you home."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"I can go home by myself. Please spare yourself the trouble."
"Wait!"
"What?"
"You dressed up real nicely and I wouldn't like to see perfection
go to waste."
Marron blushed. Then she turned around to face Trunks.
"All right." she said. "Well?"
"Well what?" Trunks asked.
"You just said..."
"Oh yeah! Well, um, I...why don't we take a nice stroll around the
park?"
"Fine with me."
Trunks held out his arm and Marron took it.
"Don't you ever wonder why we always take a walk when we're here?"
Marron asked.
"I never realized that." Trunks said.
"And some surprise just pops out."
"Like that time when...uh, well..."
"Like the time when...?"
"I'd rather not say."
Marron sighed and smiled at Trunks.
"Like that time when you told me that you loved me?" Marron asked
in a surprisingly calm tone. "I found that quite a startle."
"Yeah. Like that time."
"It kind of seems that most of the surprises were, well, shall
we say, 'romantically involved'."
"Pretty much, I guess."
"But New Year came and we can now forget about the stupid things
we did."
Trunks stopped walking. Marron looked at him with a quite concerned
look on her face.
"What's wrong, Trunks-kun?" Marron asked.
"Do you really think that falling in love with each other was
a stupid thing to do?" Trunks asked. There were mixed emotions in the
tone of his voice. It sounded angered, confused, saddened.
"Well, it wasn't the best decision in the world." Marron replied.
"Then you're saying that...I do stupid things..."
"No! That's not it at all, Trunks. I was just saying that..."
"I know what you were saying. But I'm in love with you and so it
means that I'm doing something stupid."
"You're...in love with me?"
Trunks let go of Marron and turned away.
"Yes." Trunks said. "Yes, Marron-chan, I am."
"Please don't say that."
"Why not?" Trunks said, facing Marron again.
"It won't do any good for any of us, Trunks."
"It did before. It almost did. But there's no more interruptions."
"I..."
"How do you feel about me?"
"You...you're one of my best friends and you will always be."
"Do you...love me?"
"I do. Very much. I love you as a friend."
"Do you love me like you did before?"
"Trunks...I...I...I do."
"Then will you please give it another chance, Marron-chan?"
"I-I...I can't. I can't. I tried so many times but I never succeed.
You don't know what I've been through."
"Then let me know what you've been through."
"I... Well, first there was me. I never knew you loved me that way.
That's why I let some stupid dead actor get in the way. Then, there
was Pan. I meant to tell you but then, she came and took your heart.
Then, there was that time when it actually worked out. But you left,
forgot all about me and went off and almost married Nusumi. Then,
I left and...and I...I..."
"You what?"
"I fell in love."
"You...you... Who was it?"
"It's none of your business."
Trunks was shocked at the comment that Marron made. She never
said anything like that to him. Ever. If she ever did, it wasn't
used seriously. Not as serious as she used it there.
"It is my business, Marron." Trunks said.
"Since when?" asked Marron.
"I...I want to know. Please."
Marron looked at Trunks. He seemed desperate to know.
"His name is Aoi Senritsu." Marron said.
"Are you...still in love with him?"
"Yes...I think. I want to be in love with him..." Marron paused. "But
I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because...because...because...I love you."
"Then why don't you just please..."
"Because it's not meant to be! Can't you understand? There were
so many chances for us but it never worked out. It's destiny's
way of saying that we don't belong together. Not in that way, at
least. Just stop convincing yourself!"
"Why don't you stop denying yourself?!"
"There's nothing to deny, Trunks! It's either we try to stay in
love with each other and be miserable for the rest of our lives or
tell ourselves that this is a completely wrong decision, find true
love and avoid being lonely forever."
"Listen to me! Isn't it enough that we're in love with each other?
All we need is a little..."
"No! You listen to ME, Trunks! I..."
Before Marron could say another word, Trunks quickly covered her
mouth. Marron made no move to hesitate. She let Trunks keep her
quiet and waited for what he had to say.
"Listen, Marron. I'm only going to ask you this once." Trunks
said solemnly. "Will you marry me?"
Marron felt tears beginning to fill her eyes but she managed to
keep it inside. She stepped back from Trunks and kept her eyes on
the ground.
"I will...I will... No, Trunks. I can't." Marron said. She took
one last look at Trunks, ran back to her car and drove back home.